1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to an apparatus and a method for Device Management (DM), and more particularly, to an apparatus and a method for providing an application-related management object through an Open Application Program Interface (API) corresponding to an open programming interface provided by a DM client.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional device management method operates in a peer-to-peer scheme. That is, between a DM server on a network and a DM client included in a wireless communication terminal, a peer-to-peer session is generated and a message defined in a DM protocol is exchanged, so that the DM server allows the DM client to perform a particular operation such as adding/deleting/changing a particular configuration in the terminal.
The Device Management (DM) protocol is defined as a total of five messages including package #0 to package #4, and a DM session may be formed between the DM server and the terminal through the DM protocol. The DM session may be initiated by the DM server or the client, that is, the terminal.
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a general DM session setup process.
Referring to FIG. 1, when a particular terminal has a management operation to be performed, a DM server 20 transmits a package #0 notification message to the particular terminal, that is, a DM client 10 included in the particular terminal to inform the DM client 10 that there is a DM action in step 101. When the package #0 notification message is received, the DM client 10 makes a request for a session configuration by transmitting a package #1 message to the DM server 20 in step 103. The DM server 20 accepts a DM session setup and transmits a package #2 message for delivering a DM command for a waiting terminal management operation to the DM client 10 in step 105, and the DM client 10 transmits a package #3 message to the DM server 20 in order to deliver a performance result of the DM command received from the DM server 20 in response to the package #2 message in step 107.
Subsequently, the DM server 20 ends the DM session through a package #4 message in step 109 or transmits an additional management operation to the DM client 10, and the DM client 10 performs the additional management operation included in the package #4 message and reports a result thereof to the DM server 20 through the package #3 message. Thereafter, the DM server 20 and the DM client 10 may provide the management operation or management commands through iteration of the package #4 message and the package #3 message. In this case, when the management operation is continuously included in the package #4 message, the DM session is maintained. When there is no additional management operation, the DM session is terminated.
Meanwhile, for terminal management, terminal management targets are defined as Management Objects (MOs). Terminal management is achieved by the DM client 10 and the DM server 20 transmitting the management objects using the DM protocol.
As described above, MOs are defined according to a service desired to be provided using the DM protocol. However, currently there is no method in which an application changes or generates an application-related MO within a terminal supporting a terminal management service. Accordingly, the terminal manages the application by using an MO that has been changed or generated by the DM client 10 and the DM server 20 regardless of an application attribute. Accordingly, an application processor only receives a determined MO parameter value in a passive position of only receiving unilaterally the MO parameter value. Accordingly, when the MO parameter value considering the application attribute is provided, a function and a service which the application desires to provide may be optimized. Therefore, a need exists for a method of providing the MO parameter value considering the application attribute.